My Tufted Bed :: A Review of the Skyline Linen Nail Button Wingback

I ordered this bed back in February or March of 2012 and I wanted to give you an update on how we like it so far….

{UPDATED:: It’s now 2014 and the price and reviews have changed. My thoughts:: I still LOVE the bed (it survived a move just beautifully) and I would buy it again. The price on Joss & Main fluctuates but is still worth watching, same with Amazon.}

I happened to find this tufted bed through Joss and Main. The price was $535 for the entire queen bed (not just the headboard) and that included shipping.

This is the bed I was originally going to purchase. Tufted beds pop up a few times a month through Joss & Main so I had done my research on this particular bed (the one above), oftentimes Joss & Main will list the maker so you can google and read the reviews for the products before you purchase them. At the time, this bed had great reviews and I couldn’t wait to buy it.

But during the next sale, that bed wasn’t included but another bed by the same maker, was. I had $165 in credit burning a hole in my virtual cute orange skinny jeans pocket so I bought a different bed on a whim–the bed I have now. After I bought my non-returnable bed I figured I should do some research and see if I could find some reviews. Here’ the review back in 2012::

I didn’t take a screen shot at the time but as you can see, When You Click on Skyline Tufted Bed today that reviews are 3 out of 5 stars. Also, the price is a lot higher on Amazon. I think it was within $100 at the time, today the Queen costs more than any other size which proves it’s worth watching something for a few weeks before you buy. Back to my point, SHEESH, 3 stars? What have I done?

So I read the reviews here’s the most famous review, the one that scared me::

“

1) Bed is a nightmare to put together and is not sturdy feeling once constructed.
2) The fabric was coming apart in some areas of the headboard.
3) The nailheads aren’t real. They are plastic and only every 5th one is more real looking but it stands out from the other row of plastic “nailheads”.
4) There were a few places where the screw area was off and/or it was stripped so it didn’t even take the screw.
5) The chemical treatment of the fabric stays pretty strong for a good week. It can give you a headache, even waking up with one.
6) The space between the headboard and the bottom panel is too far, it leaves a huge gap in the middle so it looks unfinished.
7) The back of the headboard is open and not covered w/any material. Just wood partical board with splinters sticking out (be careful).
8) The bed only comes with 3 panels for the front and two sides, not the headboard side. You cannot have this bed anywhere except up against a wall otherwise, you’ll see all the unfinished areas.

After reading that review on Amazon, I just knew this bed was going to be made of cardboard, covered with rayon and stapled together. But I had no other choice than to wait until it was delivered to see my regret in person. So we got the bed. And my anticipated disappointment wasn’t disappointed. I posted this photo and words on instagram 22 weeks ago:

“Headboard for our new bed, I can already tell it’s a dud. It’s not tall enough, I think there will be a big gap b/n our mattress & where the headboard starts. Deciding if I want to keep it. But I like a challenge.”

And then because I am impatient smart, I grabbed some of the parts and mocked up the bed before we took the old one down. Oh, things were beginning to look up.

Now I’ll take the observations from the review that scared me and pair them with mine after using the bed four months my words are in pink::

1) Bed is a nightmare to put together and is not sturdy feeling once constructed.

I’d love to say that I put it together but I didn’t my husband did and said it wasn’t any easier or more difficult than any other piece of furniture that he’s put together from Ikea and other places.

2) The fabric was coming apart in some areas of the headboard.

Mine was perfectly fine on mine, but yes, that is a HUGE deal if the fabric is coming apart you’d need to return it–if you got yours from someplace like Joss & Main even if it’s non-returnable, if there is a flaw you need to call and they should help you.

3) The nailheads aren’t real. They are plastic and only every 5th one is more real looking but it stands out from the other row of plastic “nailheads”.

Yes, they used the nailhead trim that you can buy already connected. Every 6th or so nailhead is real and sticks up a little further. It’s a complete non-issue for me. Makes me wonder if people don’t have anything better to do than contemplate the size of their 1/3 inch nailheads on their bed. Of course, I am a self professing Imperfectionist, so keep that in mind. If this bed cost $3000 the fake nailhead trim would be annoying and a cheap shortcut. I didn’t think it mattered on a $500 bed. Of course, they are charging $900 on Amazon now, pick your battles.

4) There were a few places where the screw area was off and/or it was stripped so it didn’t even take the screw.

I specifically asked my husband about this and he agreed that some of the screws had to be coaxed into their place. He shrugged and said it wasn’t unlike other things he’s put together and was no big deal at all. Keep in mind we have bad luck with stuff and always have to sweet talk the parts together so he’s used to stuff like this and he works with tools for a living so it’s not a big deal for him.

5) The chemical treatment of the fabric stays pretty strong for a good week. It can give you a headache, even waking up with one.

I am the world’s strongest smeller. I can smell when someone near me burps so naturally, I was concerned about this envisioning me sleeping on the sofa for the next two years because my pretty new bed gave me headaches. I noticed a smell for about two days, got no headache and any smell disappeared.

6) The space between the headboard and the bottom panel is too far, it leaves a huge gap in the middle so it looks unfinished.

I want to go in-depth on this point because this can be an issue with most beds that are sold online like this.

YES. This is true IF you have a thin mattress and or box spring. This was the point I was most worried about. We have a regular box spring and mattress of average depth (plus a cushy feather bed that really plumps up the depth of our mattress and you cannot see a space between the headboard and mattress. But if so it would have driven me crazy.

See what we are referring to? The headboard doesn’t go all the way to the floor, it ends right at the top of the mattress. So if your mattress isn’t very thick, there could be a gap. If your mattress is really thin? There could be a big gap.

7) The back of the headboard is open and not covered w/any material. Just wood partical board with splinters sticking out (be careful).

Mine has black muslin covering it but yes, you cannot turn the bed with the headboard facing the door. So?

8) The bed only comes with 3 panels for the front and two sides, not the headboard side. You cannot have this bed anywhere except up against a wall otherwise, you’ll see all the unfinished areas.

So? I only see beds not up with the headboard against the wall in furniture catalogs. But yes, the back of the bed is unfinished, just like the back of my dressers and hutch and TV and refrigerator. It will look bad if you place it backwards in your room.

****

The biggest issue I can find with the bed is the fact that the bottom of the headboard starts so high. If our mattress hadn’t been as thick (I think our mattress & boxspring together are about 20″ deep) I probably would have gone out and bought a feather bed topper but still would have been annoyed. It’s definitely a shortcut that discount furniture makers take that you want to be aware of.

Something else I noticed is that there is a small gap on each side between the mattress and the “wings”. Again, it doesn’t bother me in the least and I’m not sure how to avoid that because of the design. I do like that there are wings and would recommend that for a bed like this. Otherwise, if the two side wings weren’t there I think the fact that the headboard doesn’t go behind the mattress would be really obvious.

Of course, once you put pillows and people and blankets on the bed the little gaps become invisible.

And you don’t really notice it at all.

All in all we like the bed, it’s very sturdy, doesn’t lean when we lean against the headboard and is a good deal for the price. I’m really happy with it and would recommend it and purchase it again if we had it to do over.

UPDATE: It’s now 2014, we’ve moved the bed to a new house, taken it apart, put it back together and still, no complaints. Above is an image from the 2013 Better Homes & Gardens Christmas Ideas magazine that featured our home and the bed was the star of the bedroom.

Here are some current choices on Amazon. I’ve noticed over the past year that the price of this bed has gone up both on Joss & Main and Amazon, it’s quite popular and I’m guessing that’s prompted it being marked up.

Hi! Love this posting, thanks so much for sharing. I think I am going to buy the bed today.
Can you please tell me about the fabulous wallpaper in the background? Is it peel and stick or no?
Any information would be so helpful. thanks!lstearn819@yahoo.com

We ordered the bed in Navy, but we’re in the middle of moving so we haven’t opened it. I’ll try to post back in a couple weeks with an update. I will say we were pleased with ordering from Hayneedle and the bed arrived earlier then originally scheduled. While I was shopping on the Hayneedle site a coupon code popped up so we saved an extra 10 or 15% so I think it ended up costing ~$750 for the queen bed (headboard, footboard, and rails).

What is the distance from the bottom of the headboard (the gap area referenced) to the floor? Considering purchasing just the headboard but want to ensure I don’t get the gap I have with my current headboard I’m replacing. Lose my pillows to the gap far too often.

I am wondering if the legs on this bed are the wooden furniture legs that screw in? My one issue with the bed is those. I am curious about the idea of replacing them with different wooden legs that you can purchase separately.
Thanks!